


Speaking of loyalty

by frostysunflowers



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Cloakie is a good bro, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-16 11:33:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21507256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostysunflowers/pseuds/frostysunflowers
Summary: Five times the Cloak of Levitation looked out for Peter, and one time it looked out for Tony.
Relationships: Cloak of Levitation & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Stephen Strange
Comments: 55
Kudos: 627





	Speaking of loyalty

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not even gonna try and justify this utterly ridiculous mess haha. Ages ago I started this and after hearing about the deleted idea of Tony wearing the cloak in Infinity War, I finally finished it!
> 
> Nothing but silliness from here on guys, enjoy!

''Doc, what the hell is your creepy blanket thing doing?''

Strange doesn’t lift his head. ''It’s not a blanket. It’s a Cloak of Levitation.''

Tony glances over to where the cloak is bobbing gently up and down, right beside where Peter is sprawled on the couch and snoring softly into a pillow. From the tilt of the high collar, it’s clear that the cloak is focusing on Peter’s face. 

''Well, your _Cloak of Levitation_ is being creepy.''

Strange looks up then, dark eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he smirks. 

''Seems it has a particular fondness for your _intern.''_

Tony meets Strange’s knowing smirk with a pointed glare, though his attention is quickly back on the cloak again when it ruffles itself loudly. 

Strange stands up with a frown and walks over, looking curiously down at Peter. Tony makes a bewildered noise when the man places a hand against Peter’s forehead. 

''He’s got a fever.''

''What?'' Tony hurries over, touches his palm to Peter’s skin and curses softly when he feels the heat against his fingers. ''Damn it. He said earlier he wasn’t feeling great. I figured he meant that he was tired, not turning into a volcano.''

''It’s not that bad,'' Strange reassures softly. ''Peter? Can you hear me?''

Peter snorts himself awake instantly, revealing bloodshot eyes that flit back and forth between Tony and Strange in sleepy confusion. ''Wha - somethin’ wrong? Is there a miss - ''

''Nothing’s wrong, kiddo,'' Tony says softly, gently pushing his hand against Peter’s shoulder when he tries to sit up. ''Just checking your brain hasn’t fried. That’s quite a fever you’re sporting there.''

''Oh,'' Peter immediately falls back against the couch, closing his eyes again. ''Yeah, it sucks. Wouldn’t recommend.''

Tony rolls his eyes and rubs his hand up and down Peter’s arm while Strange chuckles quietly. ''I think he’ll be fine.''

''Yeah,'' Tony agrees, looking at the cloak as it swoops down low to hover closer to Peter’s head. ''Guess you’re good for more than just making this guy look mystical.''

The cloak bobs up and down like it agrees. 

* * *

''Come on, Gandalf,'' Tony complains, ''all I’m asking you to do is open one little portal - ''

''Do you really have nothing better to do than come down here and pester me like this?'' Strange says, stalking past Tony and up the stairs. ''I’m busy.''

Tony looks around the main hall of the sanctum, ready to make some sort of scathing comment with the intent of annoying the other man into helping him, but a loud ''brrr!'' from behind makes him pause.

''You alright there, Underoos?'' he questions as he turns to look at Peter. ''Feeling chilly?''

Peter nods as he furiously rubs his hands up and down his arms, bunching the sleeves of his thick hoodie. ''Y-yeah, a little bit. Why is it so cold in here?''

''Old buildings usually are, kid,'' Tony says with a shrug. ''More so if you’re an enhanced spider-child with no ability to thermoregulate or dress in layers,'' he adds as he begins to remove his jacket. 

Something swooshes past him, making him jump, and then the cloak is settling itself around Peter’s shoulders, curling fully around him in a funny sort of embrace. The left point of its collar taps the kid on the cheek rather firmly and Peter laughs, making a more content shivering sound as he wriggles inside the material. 

''Thanks, Cloakie.''

''Cloakie,'' Tony mutters under his breath, glancing back up the stairs where Strange has stopped. ''Cloakie!'' he repeats loudly, gesturing emphatically as Peter burrows further into the cloak’s hold. 

Strange shakes his head with a loud sigh and continues to march up the stairs. 

* * *

The portal that opens above Manhattan and spills out a furious horde of gun-toting alien hybrids is not what Tony expected to be dealing with when he woke up this morning, and he sure as hell didn’t expect the fight to still be going on after two ruthless hours of fighting on the city streets. 

''These guys don’t know when to quit,'' Steve grunts over the comms from a few blocks way. ''Any more ideas about closing the portal?''

''The wizard’s working on it,'' Tony says, glancing over to where Strange is standing on the edge of the rooftop directly below the portal, orange circles of light whirling in front of his hands. ''How’s it going, Doc?''

Stephen doesn’t reply but the magical energy surrounding him surges brighter, attracting the attention of the nearby aliens who immediately swarm towards him. Tony blasts one after the other, repulsors singing loudly over the chaos of inhuman voices snarling at him. Peter swings by, knocking several of them off course with his feet before flipping into the air, aiming for the side of a building. 

A blaster ray glances off his left leg, not enough to wound but enough to knock him off course, sending him spinning through the air and towards the ground below. 

''Peter!'' Tony’s yell is guttural and full of panic. He breaks through the throng of bodies charging at him and dives after Peter, but the ground is already rushing up too fast, everything around him blurring except for Peter and the way he’s desperately trying to right himself, his arms pinwheeling and body twisting. 

He’s not going to make it. 

Tony’s mouth is opening in another scream of Peter’s name when a streak of maroon flashes past him and throws itself under Peter. 

Peter hits the cloak and bounces back up slightly with a surprised yelp. The cloak catches him again and wraps him up almost from head to toe. 

''Peter,'' Tony groans as he draws level with them and grabs the kid’s masked face, the only thing visible except for the tips of his feet, in his hands. ''Jesus Christ, kid, are you alright?''

''Yeah,'' Peter gasps, the lenses of his mask wide and blinking rapidly, ''y-yeah, I mean that was absolutely terrifying but I’m okay.''

Tony pulls him and the cloak, still draped around Peter, into a fierce hug, trusting the cloak to keep them from falling. They hang there for a few seconds until the cloak carefully pushes them into the flimsy safety of an alcove window, not relinquishing its hold on Peter until the kid is safely perched on the ledge. 

Tony keeps an arm around Peter’s shoulders, grateful for the fact that he can feel the kid trembling next to him because it means he’s _alive,_ and nods his head at the cloak in a sign of thanks. 

‘’Not bad, magic carpet.’’

The cloak waves the tips of its collar, clearly pleased with the praise, and then swoops back into the fray. Moments later, a few unconscious aliens plummet past them, hitting the ground below with loud thuds. 

''Cloakie’s pretty badass,'' Peter chuckles tiredly, letting his head rest on Tony’s shoulders for a moment. 

''I still can’t believe you call it Cloakie,'' Tony scoffs. ''It’s a cape, kid, not a dog.''

''Aw, come on, Mister Stark! It’s no different than the way you treat Dum-E.''

''How dare you,'' Tony gasps, gently digging his knuckles into Peter’s side. ''My relationship with Dum-E is built upon a foundation of respect and a clear sense of who’s in charge - ''

''I saw you tickling his wheels last week to cheer him up after you yelled at him for spraying you with the fire extinguisher again.''

''I was _not_ tickling his wheels,'' Tony insists sourly, looking away with a huff. ''And for the record - ''

''Can you two have your sickly sweet father and son bonding moment another time?'' Clint’s frustrated voice yells over the comms. ''We still got plenty of ass that needs kicking down here.''

''Oops,'' Peter mumbles and immediately hops to his feet, shaking out his arms and legs. He shoots out a string of webbing that secures instantly to the building opposite them. 

''Let’s go, Spider-Man,'' Tony says, grinning when Peter salutes him and swings away. 

* * *

The gathering in the compound is accidental. Tony arrives with Peter in tow for a weekend stay to find not only Steve, Nat and Clint hanging out in the rec room, but also Thor, a very sleepy looking Bruce and, to Tony’s great surprise, Strange and his faithful cloak too. 

''I had a call from Nick Fury,'' Stephen explains when Tony asks. ''Seems he thinks that due to the increasing frequency of attacks in the city, we should spend some time training together, work on a team dynamic.''

He doesn’t look particularly pleased about it and Tony can’t help but grin. 

''Big bad Nick Fury telling a wizard what to do? Wonders will never cease.''

Strange glares at him and Steve steps in with an offer of a sparring session in the gym and soon enough, almost everyone is dressed for the occasion and facing off against one another. The sound of skin hitting skin and grunts of effort quickly fill the room, though the ferocity is kept to a minimum. 

Strange observes from the side, watching carefully, eyes studying each movement. Bruce sits slumped against the wall, fast asleep. Tony eyes him fondly just as Steve takes a swing at him, catching him across the chest. 

''Hey!'' Tony grunts. 

''You should be paying attention,'' Steve sasses with a chuckle. 

Tony raises his arms and they sink into a steady exchange of jabs and kicks, ducking and swerving in a quietly aggressive dance. It goes on like this for a while, until a thud followed by a yelp and Thor’s distressed voice interrupts them. 

Tony pivots instantly at the sound, sees Peter sprawled on the ground with his hand pressed against his face, and Thor reaching down towards him - 

And then the cloak is attaching itself to Thor’s head and dragging him down towards the floor. The smacking sound of the cloak against the gym mat is loud even above Thor’s muffled yelling and the startled shouts of the others, and it manages to fully yank Thor off his feet before Strange’s sharp bark of ''stop!'' sends it wheeling back up into the air. 

''What the hell was that?'' Steve demands. 

Peter lowers his hand to reveal the hefty bruise already forming around his eye. ''Is it bad?'' he asks, squinting up at Tony. 

''It’s a doozy, bud,'' Tony sighs as he yanks the kid to his feet. ''You alright?'' he asks Thor as Steve helps him up. 

''I am extremely sorry, young Peter,'' Thor mumbles forlornly. ''I misjudged the distance and hit too hard.''

''It’s totally cool!'' Peter reassures quickly, cheeks turning red. ''I’ve had way worse, right, Mister Stark?''

''Unfortunately.''

The cloak swoops over and sways close to Peter’s face, twitching from side to side. Peter laughs and reaches out to pat the side of its collar. ''Thanks, Cloakie. You didn’t need to do that though. Thor didn’t mean it.''

The cloak shifts to regard Thor. 

''You are impressively strong, friend,'' Thor says approvingly, holding out a hand. ''I would be honoured to go into battle with you someday.''

There’s a long moment of silence, then the hem of the cloak twitches upwards and brushes against Thor’s hand, knotting around his fingers in a funny handshake before it flies back to Strange’s side. 

''You and that cloak should visit more often, Doc,'' Tony calls over. ''God knows _someone_ needs to be able to kick Point Break’s ass.''

Against the wall, Bruce sleeps on, completely unaware. 

* * *

The early evening sky is a glorious mess of pink and red, the sun a rapidly vanishing glow of burnt orange against the skyline. 

Tony sips coffee from his favourite mug as he leans against the balcony railing, allowing himself to savour the moment and closing his eyes as a soft breeze blows against his face. 

He hears a whooshing sound, a fluttering of fabric, and then a jubilant call of ''Hey, Mister Stark!''

The mug slips in Tony's grasp, sloshing hot coffee against his skin as he jumps at the sight of Peter and MJ hovering a few feet away from him, the pair of them sitting on - 

''Is that Strange's cloak?!''

The hem of the cloak folds up to wave at him. 

''Pretty cool, huh?''

Tony knuckles the space between his eyes with a groan. ''Goddamnit, kid. Does Strange know?''

''Uhh...'' Peter glances down at the cloak. Its collar whips sharply back and forth. ''I guess not.''

As if on cue, a bright swirl of orange starts to hiss to life beside Tony. 

''Uh oh,'' Peter mutters while MJ laughs. ''Gotta go, Mister Stark!''

The cloak zips away just as Strange steps through. Tony fights the urge to flip him off. 

''Don't give me that look.''

''Do you mind explaining to me what is going on?''

''Kid's on a date,'' Tony sighs, ''and apparently your cloak is the greatest wingman in history.'' 

* * *

Another day, another alien portal opening up in the skies above New York. 

''Seriously, what is it with aliens and New York?'' Peter complains, voice a little strained as he swerves a blast from a ray gun. ''I mean, the way they’re trashing the place I’m guessing they’re not here for sightseeing - ''

''Kid,'' Tony barks warningly from down on the ground as he elbows a snarling lime-green beast in the face. ''Focus.''

''Right, gotcha, sorry,'' Peter babbles. 

They and the rest of the team maintain the upper hand for the majority of the fight. Strange swooping in and joining forces with Thor to launch the creatures back through the portal helps to even the odds, and Tony’s already thinking about the huge cheeseburger he’s going to devour after they’re done when an electrical current fizzes through him and shuts the suit down. 

''FRIDAY?'' he says, tapping the side of his helmet. ''FRI?''

Silence. 

''Damn it,'' Tony curses. 

He’s hardly a sitting duck but going up against a vicious bunch of bloodthirsty alien without any of his tech is hardly preferable. 

Especially when one of the bloodthirsty aliens is suddenly leaping towards him, giant weapon raised, mouth open in a roar, ready to pummel him into the ground. 

He hears distant shouting, feels the adrenaline spike as he braces himself, no time to move - 

And then the cloak is sweeping through the air, a billow of velvet red, and swirling around Tony’s shoulders. Power instantly surges inside him, right through every drop of blood and stretch of bone in his body; a crackling kind of energy that allows him to arch his right arm back and launch an uppercut that sends the creature hurtling through the air. 

He flies up, riding the air like a wave. It’s different to the suit, weightless and free, and Tony glides forward with ease, a triumphant little cackle leaving his mouth as he dives back into the fight. 

''Holy shit, Mister Stark!'' Peter yells from a nearby rooftop, nearly tripping over the edge in surprise. 

''Jealous, kid?''

Peter can only babble incoherently in response. 

The cloak rustles against Tony’s back and he twists to see it slap sharply into an alien’s face, leaving an opening for Tony to punch it down. 

''And here I thought the kid was your favourite, _Cloakie.''_

They sharply drop a foot through the air. 

''Ah, okay, okay!'' Tony flails. ''Damn, you and Strange really are a pair.''

The fight goes on but Strange eventually manages to seal the portal, and the remaining invaders are dispatched quickly. Tony floats down to join the others, grinning as they all gawk up at him, except for Strange who merely rolls his eyes. 

''Don’t get used to it,'' he tells Tony. 

''Wouldn’t dream of it, Doc. You can keep your mystical mumbo jumbo,'' Tony jerks his head back at the cloak. ''Though there is something to be said for the loyalty in your outerwear.''

''Told you he was badass!'' Peter cheers. 

''I wouldn’t go that far,'' Tony starts, but then the cloak shifts against his back, a warm and comforting weight, and he chuckles when the corner of the collar pats gently at his face. 

''Yeah, yeah, I like you too, rug.''

**Author's Note:**

> Still stuck in the equivalent of writer's hell over here haha, but trying to power through and apparently crack fics are the way to do that...who knew! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
